Resilient bearing for wheels.



PATENTED NOV. 20, 1906.

A. SIMPSON. RESILIENT BEARING FOR, WHEELS.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 11. 1905.

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- N-O- 836,656. 4 PATENTED NOV. '20, 1906.

A. SIMPSON.

RESILIBNT BEARING FOR WHEELS.

ABPLIQATIQN FILED JULY 11. 1905.

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RESILIENT BEARING FOR WHEELS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented Nov. 20, 1906.

Application filed July 11, 1905. Serial No. 26 9,243.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALBERT SIMPSON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Dryad, in the county of Lewis and State of Washington, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Resilient Bearings forWheels, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object to provide a resilient or springbearing for wheels of such a nature as to obviate the necessity for useof the cushion or pneumatic tire of any kindsuch as are commonlyemployed upon the wheels of bicycles, automobiles, and similarvehiclesthe invention doing away with the expense incident to theinitial'cost of such tires and to the wear and tear thereon in practicaluse.

For a full description of the invention and the merits thereof and alsoto acquire a knowledge of the details of construction of the means foreffecting the result reference is to be had to the following descriptionand accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of awheel having the invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is an enlarged sideelevation bringing out more clearly the construction of the inventionwhen applied to the front forks of the bicycle. Fig. 3 is a perspectiveview of the invention applied to the rear portion of the frame. Fig. 4is a side elevation of the construction shown in Fig. 3.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the samereference characters.

In carrying out the invention to show the application thereof the sameis illustrated as adapted for use for bicycle-wheels, and in thedrawings the numeral 1 designates the frame of the wheel, and thenumeral 2 the front forks. To provide a resilient bearing for the wheelat the forks 2, spaced frames 3 are secured to said forks, and each ofsaid frames is formed with a longitudinal guide in the form of a slot 4,the ends of the axle 5 of the wheel being mounted in these guides 4. Therear wardly-extending arm 6 and an extension 7 at the upper and lowerportions of the frames 3 are directly secured to the forks 2 by suitablefastenings, such as indicated at 8. A foot 9 is formed at the lower endof each frame 3 and preferably consists of a lateral extension thereof.Mounted in the foot 9 of each frame is a threaded stem 10, passingtherethrough, the upper end of said stem being connected with the lowerend of a spring 11, arranged above the foot 9, a nut 12, threaded on thelower extremity of the stem 10 and arranged below the foot 9, beingadapted for adjustment, so as to regulate the tension of the spring 11according to the weight which will be sustained by the wheels when thesame are in actual use. A hook 13 connects the upper end of each spring11 with the axle 5, and it will be seen that when weight is received onthe forks 2 the said weight is sustained by the springs 11, as theframes 3 are connected by means of said springs 11 with the axle. Thesprings 11 and the mounting thereof with reference to adjacent partsthus afforda resilient spring or cushion bearing for the axle, whichrelieves the frame or support carried by the axle of jar and vibrationincident to the travel of the wheel over a surface. The wheel may thusbe provided with a solid rim or may be of almost any construction withreference to this part not embodying the use of a rubber tire, thedisadvantages of which need no recitation.

In applying the invention supporting the rear of the frame 1 of thebicycle the frames 3 which are similar to the frames 3 before described,are used, and said frames 3 have the guides 4 and the foot extension 9,as hereinbefore described with reference to the frames 3. The springs 11are mounted on the frames 3, which carry the stems 10, adjustable bymeans of the nuts 12. The hooks 13 at the upper ends of the springs 11connect said springs to the rear axle 14. The rear portion of the frame1 of the bicycle is ordinarily provided with the upwardly-inclined slots15, receiving the axle ofthe rear wheel, and in this instance transversebolts 16, connecting the frames 3 to the rear of the frame 1, arereceived in the slots 15, establishing connection between the frames 3and the frame 1 in a manner which will be readily seen. The usualtruing-screws 17, employed to true the axle at the rear of the frame 1,are likewise adapted to engage the connecting member 16 to adjust thesame, and thereby admit of truing the wheel, the axle 14 being of coursecarried in the frames 3" and admitting of the above, as will be clearlyapparent.

It will be understood that the operation of the frames 3 in relievingthe rear portion of the frame 1 or support supported by the rear frames3.

- that the invention is readily adapted for variwheel of jar andvibration is substantially the same as described with reference to theFurther, it will be understood ous kinds of vehicles and to wheelsgenerally, affording a resilient bearing therefor which securesadvantages which are important and which have been before mentionedvCasings 25 will be utilized to surround and house the springs 11 toprevent dirt or other foreign matter from interfering with the properoperation thereof. The casings 25 are shown in section in Figs. 2 and 4and may be of any suitable formround, rectangular, or the likeso as tofully answer the purposes I in protecting the springs 11.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1. In aresilient support for vehicles, the combination of a pair ofvertically-slotted plates provided at their lower ends with lateraloffset portions vertically apertured, an

axle mounted in the vertical slots of said plates, a pair of springs,each having a threaded stem at its lower end to pass through thevertical aperture of a lateral extension and provided at its upper endwith a hook to engage over an end of the axle, and a set-nut mountedupon the threaded extension of each stem below the lateral offsetthrough which the said threaded stem passes.

2. In a resilient support for vehicles, the combination of a pair ofvertically-slotted plates provided at their lower ends with lateraloffset portions vertically apertured, and

having rearwardly-extended arms at their threaded extension of each stembelow the lateral offset through which the said threaded stem passes.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALBERT SIMPSONIE [L. s.] Witnesses:

S. 0. WHITE, W. A. WESTOVER.

